Confessions
by paper-princess-94
Summary: Momo wants to admit her feelings to Toushiro, but she can't find the right way to say it.


Hinamori knocked lightly on the door of the office nervously; half hoping that there would be no answer so she could just leave the pile of files for Toushiro when he returned. After waiting patiently for a few minutes she gently nudged the door open with one shoulder whilst balancing the paperwork precariously, desperate not to drop them, then she'd have to pick them up and she could end up running into Toushiro.

She set the stack of papers on the desk and sighed, she'd have to face him eventually.

_**Stop being such a baby!**_Her inner voice told her. _**Just tell him how you feel. What's the worst that could happen?**_

She pushed the thought away, she didn't want to consider what would happen if he reacted badly to her confession. But she couldn't keep it bottled up inside of her forever, it was driving her mad. Just seeing him every day made it hard for her to concentrate, knowing that he was so close and yet she couldn't reach him, couldn't touch him, couldn't kiss him…

"_Stop it_" she muttered to herself, feeling her face beginning to flush pink.

"Uhn…" The muffled mumble made Hinamori jump; she'd thought that she was alone in the room. She cautiously moved to the couch in the centre of the room, where the noise had originated from, only to find Toshirou curled up, asleep, his hair tousled and his eyes relaxed in sleep in a way which Hinamori no longer saw whilst he was awake, it brought back memories of their childhood together.

She smiled at the thought; those were the good days, before she left to become a shinigami, before Toushiro's raw power rose to the surface, before they began to drift apart.

Hinamori was surprised to find her eyes wet with unshed tears over the memory of Toushiro before he had the pressure of being a shinigami, of being a captain, placed on his shoulders. She could still picture the tousled silver hair which refused to be tamed, even when she used her best comb to try and bring it into order. And the equally rebellious Toushiro, the sharp wit and the quick mouth, the eyes; always so intelligent, always ready for whatever the world threw at them.

She started to see the change in him before she left, they were subtle but they were there. The missed chance for a slyly added insult, the dull, tired look in his eyes. She sighed; her eyes closing for a moment to hide the innocent face she had left to face the world alone.

She should have known.

But she hadn't, and she had left. Every time she went back to visit him she would notice his attitude had changed a little more, he was harder, he joked less and the stoic expression never left his face. She would continue like she didn't notice.

Five years later she heard about the new student from district 1 of Rukongai, the child genius who had come out of nowhere.

"Toushiro Hitsugaya" the other students would murmur in a mix of envy and awe.

When she next saw Toushiro she almost didn't recognize him, his eyes were veiled and cold and he stood stiffly. He didn't want to show his weaknesses to the other students. They already saw him as young; he didn't want to be seen as weak as well.

But when they were alone he let his shields down.

She pulled him into a hug, surprised to find that he was only just shorter than her now. The ice which seemed to encase him whilst around everyone else melted when he was with her, the one person who saw his real self, not the child genius, not the shinigami powerhouse that he was sure to become, but the little boy, alone in the world other than the one friend who now held him and the hundreds of eyes which followed him daily.

Hinamori came back to herself with a start, and found herself still looking down at the small sleeping form before her, she smiled, she would never lose her Toushiro, he'd always be there for her, just like she'd always be there for him.

She leant down and pulled the blanket which had fallen around his hips up to his shoulders lovingly, finding her face startlingly close to his. Instead of jumping back like she normally would have she rested her forehead gently on his, closing her eyes to prepare herself for what she was about to do, _**Just do it, **_her inner self egged her on and she leant further down until her lips brushed his softly.

She pulled back but continued to look down at the innocent face before her, "I love you, Shiro-chan. I always have and I always will."

She turned to walk away, but was pulled back by a small strong hand which grasped her wrist. It whirled her around and she found herself sat in Toushiro's lap, he had a smirk on his face and a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Where do you think you're going, Bed-wetter-Momo?" He asked in a serious voice which was completely at odds with the expression on his face. It was one of complete satisfied glee which made his entire face light up.

He pulled her into a deep kiss, his mouth, which had been so still before, now moved beneath hers, his tongue teasing at the edge of her lips. She opened her mouth to allow him entry, marvelling at the skill of the seemingly young and innocent captain as they kissed for so long she began to feel light-headed, although it could have just been Toushiro's closeness. His tenderness spoke to her, her heart pounding in her chest as he softly stroked her hair with one hand whilst the other held her cheek so gently.

When she pulled away he looked disappointed but immediately perked up as she rested her head on his chest. He pulled them down onto the couch; she lay on top of him as he gently caressed her back, completely relaxed. That's probably why when he said his next words she almost fell off of him.

He leaned down and moved her hair back behind her ear, his lips so close that as he whispered the words she felt him brush against her earlobe and a tingle ran down her spine.

"Momo…" he paused to nibble on her earlobe, sending another shiver following the first, "Momo, I love you too" Her reaction must have been funny because he allowed a small chuckle to escape from his lips.

"Wha…?" her questions were crushed by the lips which came down to meet hers. He kissed her passionately, as though she might run from his confession. She smiled into the kiss, and repeated the words softly into the kiss "I love you, Shiro-chan"

Rangiku wandered into her captain's office and stopped in the doorway, a smile came to her lips as she saw the two figures tangled in the blanket on the couch. Hinamori's face was buried in her captain's hair and he had a slight smile on his face, even in sleep just being near Hinamori made him happy.

She continued smiling as she wandered over to the desk, opened a draw and pulled out her camera. She carefully and silently checked that the flash was off, lined up the shot and snapped the picture of the happy young couple.

She grinned evilly to herself as she gently closed the door behind her, not wanting to wake her sleeping captain until she was out of range, and looked down at the screen on the camera, the picture making her smile again.

"Just wait till the others see this" she muttered rebelliously under her breath. She walked away, a noticeable spring in her step, off to find Hisagi and Kira and spread the news around.


End file.
